What would the idea gas mask and chem suit be?

I have seen a lot of gas masks and have been thinking about buying myself a Israeli Gas Mask (military M-15) but I had no idea on what type of protective chem body armor to get, I think some military grade stuff for combat as well as chem protection would be ideal but I can find nothing like that online for sale.

http://www.amazon.com/Israeli-Gas-MAsk- ... 021&sr=8-3

It is to bad they didn't make some more bad ass gas masks such as

http://www.slipperybrick.com/wp-content ... s-mask.jpg

But I guess in the end its survival vs how good you look right?

In all honestly? Save the money and spend it on truly useful preps like food and water. Unless you are properly trained in how to use a gas mask and a chem suit, it won't do you much good anyway. Even if you are trained, you have to have the correct filters to deal with whatever agent you're faced with and you'd have to have a good supply of them. All that money could buy you a hell of a lot of truly useful stuff.

My idea was more of blood splatter protection more then it was having the filter block out nasty gases. You know when bullets start flying and swords swinging, it would be nice to have something to keep splatter from getting onto your skin or into your eyes, plus with today's market and that gas mask going as low as $20 it wouldn't be much of a hinder on my already large food stock pile. I figured a tactical Chem suit would be nice protection due to the fact it is made for soldiers to fight in and be mobile in but still protect them, so biting and scratching would be useless on a person in such a suit, but that is just my own two cents.

I hunt and preserve all my meat, the meat itself can last about 10 years sealed the way I have it and I literally have enough to last that long, plus other can foods I have collected. And even if it was to run out my plan of action is to hike into the woods next to a pond that I know off that is miles from any one and live off the land, so food and water stock is covered, I pretty much have all the survival tools I feel are needed to be honest. I hunt as much as I can and since I prefer the old tradition of hunting deep in the wilderness I am constantly faced with having to survive some how, and I have more or less had a B.O.B before I even knew what one was

Currently I am trying to build a bag, a A.Z.A.D you could call it for Aggressive Zombie And Defense, something I could use so if I survive long enough I could be well protected from the threats I.E. zombies, looters, gangs, raiders, marshal law when I try to make my way back to a town to figure out what the hell is going on, part of that to me would be a gas mask and chem suit as stated about more for protection from splatter then airborne problems.

I think if the blood is flying HIV or hepatitis is the least of your concerns. Somehow feel that less action packed dangers like exposure risks are far more insidious and likely than a blood bath frenzy of God knows what so believe good rain gear seems like the better play and would also work for that blood thing. Still not sure what it is all about.

I was thinking more zombie virus then HIV. My weapon of choice would be a shotgun, and if anything was to get within 10 feet of me when a load of buck shot or a slug hit their nice little skull, blood will be flying every which way. I guess maybe I could just use a paintball mask with rain gear? I was wanting something more protective though but eh...

Zombies are not real, they are used as a metaphor for the worst case event.

What ever you wish to believe is up to you, I however live in northern California and have seen zombies, real ones. Its a virus known as rabies which causes the carrier to want to bite people since the virus is transferred through saliva, if you were to get blood of a rabid animal on a open sore or some where it is absorbed or you ate the meat of a rabid animal you then have to get shots because you will become rabies infected. Sorry if I choose to believe that rabies could be altered into a rage virus that causes a pandemic, hell before the rabies vaccine was created it was a pandemic that almost made it to zombie status. People were running around frothing at the mouth, attacking people, biting them, and infected those they bit. Sounds a whole hell of a lot like a zombie to me. There are a couple books I could point you towards when rabies was a huge problem before we had a vaccine, you will be quite surprised how much those first hand encounters sound a lot like a scene from a movie. I have no trouble believing also that the rabies virus could somehow branch off creating a new strand of itself that is worse then what we have now, and I how no trouble believing that terrorist would try to make such a virus to cause zombie like effects. They have no problem using biochemical warfare. Just remember two things, 1 the black plague, 2 no one believe the terrorist would attack us. Both of those were fantasy ideas before they happened but hey, they happened.

But hey its the USA and we are free to believe as we wish, if you think that because I believe zombies (maybe if I used the word infected that would make it seem more real because i am not talking dawn of the dead where they pop of of the ground and walk the earth because hell is full, i am talking about a virus that is worse then rabies that causes a huge pandemic much like n1h1 is doing now) could become real makes me a retard then hey I invite you to come live in butte county of California where rabies is a huge problem even to this day. This year alone I have killed 25 infected animals that came onto our property and tried to attack me. There was nothing fake about them. So to each their own I guess, id rather be prepared for the worse, then assume the worse will never happen.

P.S. Also the thread was on what would be a good gas mask and chem suit, not if zombies or "infected" were of fantasy or not.

I agree to each their own...

Make sure and build a decontamination shower / air lock into your bug out location.
You will need a good supply of chemicals for the process and a continuous positive air flow,
tacky mats for anything stuck on your feet. You will also have to process your weapon/gear else you will just be infecting yourself when you touch it without the gear. If you use a BOV it will have to be scrubbed as well or you will have to have two BOV one for use in contaminated areas and one for use when your not in chem warfare gear. (If you wear the chem suit in the vehicle and then later ride in it without one you will just contaminate yourself, so you better have two)


I'm not trying to be a smart ass, not trolling, just pointing out what you need to really make this work. A $20 gas mask doesnt cover it. Don't forget to consider the reason that gas mask is $20 is because it is old and uses outdated technology. It's possibly used and just has a new filter as well. You asked for suggestions you have received a lot.

The thing about gas masks is they are hard to breath in whether you have a filter or not, If its just for splash protection Look towards riot control stuff, It will be a lot easier to breath in than a mask.

Over-pressurization system with a filtered air supply: squirrel cage fan connected to a large NBC filter. (be sure to have uncontaminated access to the fan drive, you may have to use a v-belt and pedal arrangement.
Chemicals for decon: a strong chlorine bleach solution will work for most of it. Be able to not only wipe down and scrub with it, but a garden sprayer will be helpful.
NBC suits, boots, and gloves are meant to be disposable. You need to learn how to not only don the gear (actually not that hard, but takes some practice), but how to change filters in an NBC environment, and how to properly decon and remove the NBC gear. For beginners I recommend getting a copy of the US Army's Common Tasks Training Manual (STP 21-1-SMCT).
This isn't rocket science, but it does require you stick strictly to the protocols. If there was ever a time to cross your "t's" and dot your "I's", dealing with an NBC environment is the time.
Nasty, nasty, nasty stuff.

I just reread my own post...

I lied, I really was going for smartass!

You are far better off staying inside a house/building than you are going outside. The chances of being infected are far greater in the open. The only way protection from CBRN agents works(and even then risks are massive), is with a large support system. Shelter in place is a far better option for normal people. Try humping a 50-70 lb pack with MOPP 4 and tell me how well you fair.

Also the chances of Rabies becoming airborne is nil. If such a chance existed it would be talked about in the public health community to no end. In the end you are better off investing in some antibiotics(for Yersinia pestis, Anthrax) and other preps, leave the gas mask out.

Please cite such books. And no 'choose your own adventure' books, please.

Emboldened, I agree 100% with.
Italicized, not entirely. If you mean large support system being a sealed dwelling, decon supplies, a quality mask (neighborhood of 300-500USD), and a pretty hefty stock of NBC suits I agree entirely. This also requires that you actually know how to use this stuff, why to use this stuff, and when to use this stuff. If you don't know what it can and cannot protect you against you will get yourself killed.
If you mean having a major supply chain feeding this stuff to you on demand, no....as long as were talking a reasonable short period of time (a week or so).

About the only scenarios I could see this gear being needed for:
1- Nuclear weapon fallout.
2- Nuclear power plant accident that releases radioactive materials.
3-Chemical spill/industrial accident.
4- Chemical weapon attack.


Both 1 and 2 above, if you aren't getting the hell out of dodge, sealing up your home and sheltering in place is your best bet. The ONLY benefit this gear will give you is to help you prevent coming into contact with radioactive particles (dust). That's it. If you go outside in that shit you can get a lethal dose no matter how well you've learned to wear it and use it. Decon for this is just making sure you don't track any of it back inside with you.

3 and 4? Same as above, but with chemical residue. Properly worn, NBC gear can let you walk through this stuff unharmed*, but the suits and filters are only good for so long depending on the specific chemical. Once again, better off to get the hell out of dodge or bug in and seal up.



Why isn't biohazard on there? Because bioweapons are delivered by vectors such as mosquitoes and other biting insects, dogs, cats, pigs, ect as well as powders and liquids. In some cases a nice big can off deep woods off will be a better defense against some bioweapons than NBC gear. Making sure you treat your water should protect you from anything introduced through the water supply. Powder? Unless someone is crop dusting your neighborhood with spores you should be fine, and a normal N95 mask would serve you just as well after the dust settled. Once again, deconing would just be a measure to prevent dragging it into your home.

Your best defense against bioweapons? Aside from avoiding the vectors? Being healthy, having up to date immunizations, and keeping clean. And hope the medical boys and girls figure out what it is quickly and how to best treat it just in case you catch it. Really not much different than dealing with any other epidemic disease.


All of these scenarios I find to be much less likely than food shortage or civil unrest.





* Graduation from the US Army NBC school requires student to wear the gear in a nerve gas environment....kinda like the tear gas chamber but for keeps.